Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-01

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The graph below shows average carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions per person in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy and Portugal between 1967 and 2007.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Student answer (Band 5.0)

The graph provides the information about the average emission of C02 per individuals of four different countries UK,Sweden,Italya and portugal between the years 1967 to 2007.

As we can see in the graph emission of CO2 in different years UK is on the top with the highest average of carbon dioxide emission that is 11 tonness in yhe year 1967 and the country with the lowest average carbon dioxide emission per person is portugal with the 1 tonness.

As we move further we can see the Sweden which was on second in the year 1977 decrease rapidly with the time and just on 5 tonness in the year 2007. However we can see the rapid increase of portugal which was on the last in year 1967 but increase from 1 to 5. There is also increase in the average carbon dioxide emission per person of Itlay it goes from 4 to almost 8 in the year 2007.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response attempts to address the prompt by selecting some key features from the line graph, such as the UK starting at the highest point and Portugal starting at the lowest. However, the information is only partially presented, and the selection of data lacks precision. There is no clear overall overview provided to summarise the main trends across the 40-year period, which is a key requirement for this task. Furthermore, some of the specific figures reported are inaccurate or vague, such as stating the UK was at '11 tonness in yhe year 1967' and Portugal was at '1 tonness'. Ideas remain somewhat limited and under-developed, leading to an incomplete summary of the visual data.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The text shows some basic organisation, dividing the response into an introduction and two body sections. However, there is no clear overall progression or logical structure guiding the reader through the data. Cohesive devices are used rather repetitively and mechanically, with phrases like 'As we can see in the graph' and 'As we move further' overused to link sentences. Paragraphing is also poorly handled, with the main body content lumped into a single dense block rather than being logically broken down by countries or trends.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and minimally adequate for the task. The student attempts some topic-related vocabulary such as 'average carbon dioxide emission', but struggles with word choice, word form, and spelling. There are noticeable errors throughout the text, including typos and incorrect spellings like 'C02', 'Italya', 'portugal', 'tonness', and 'yhe'. These lexical inaccuracies and lack of a wider, more flexible range of vocabulary mean the response sits comfortably within the lower bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a very limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on basic, repetitive clauses connected by relative pronouns. Attempts at more complex structures are often faulty, leading to run-on sentences that lack proper punctuation. There are frequent grammatical errors, including missing articles ('on second', 'on the last'), incorrect prepositions ('per individuals', 'with the time'), and subject-verb agreement issues ('portugal which was on the last... but increase'). These errors occur frequently and can occasionally cause difficulty for the reader.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.